This Friday has been tackled with precision – and a heck of a lot of coffee! Probably, if I am honest a little too much coffee! But then then is the downside of having an espresso machine within reach. Personally, I have lost track of just how many cups I have had, but I am typing rather fast, so probably quite a few! Other tactics employed today? Firstly purposely forgetting to log into Skype (which has reduced the amount of calls to a minimum) and secondly realizing that it is feckin freezing outside, so I am grounded in doors!

Time to reduce the caffeine levels in my bloodstream I feel!

However upon arriving I couldn’t have been more overdressed, so the tie was thrown to one side, leaving me to breath again, while we carrying on!

It’s been another long day today – with no end in sight. It’s been a mixture of trying to catch up while preparing for the second large pitch of the week. This photo that I took last night on my return to Birmingham airport seems appropriate – a long never ending corridor.

A God early start this morning (4am) with a flight over to Amsterdam for the first of the large pitches this week. It might sound grand, “Oh, I am over in Amsterdam tomorrow!” – but the realization of getting up at 4am, dragging your arse to the airport, smiling sweetly at security, traversing Amsterdam’s train system, sitting through several hours of powerpoint, wowing the customer, racing back to the airport, driving back home in the dark, and collapsing on your sofa at 7:30! Oh yeah, rock and roll.

On the plus, I thank Amsterdam Airport for unlocking the Swarm badge on FourSquare for me! Woop!

It’s nearly midnight on Sunday evening, and am I sat sipping red wine? am I sat engrossed in some brilliant film? do I have my feet up and feel totally relaxed?

Nope, I’ve been crouched over the lounge table for the past several hours throwing PowerPoint slides together for Tuesday’s big pitch. Ah, the joys. Guess that I will do any ironing in the morning, along with the tidying and the organizing!

The evening always ends with a disco which the kids really enjoy. So rather than posting a picture of the two of them, which wasn’t as good as the professional photographers there, I opted for something more abstract, the disco lights!

My dear Grandmother passed away this morning. Her name was Molly Smith, formally Turner from Bristol. She was a great woman and a great influence on my life as a young child, so I will remember her and miss her dearly. My creative streak was definitely down to her support and praise as a child. When she married into the Smith family, I remember poking fun at her for becoming, “Granny Smith” – and that name has stuck with me for many years.

I couldn’t think of a more fitting photo for today, and my very own ‘Granny Smith’ has now been planted in the back garden.

God rest your soul, Granny Smith … and Thank-you. xxx

Finally off the drugs and tablets today, “Woop!”. Managed to spend the day productively working today on various projects, drug free, which is an even bigger bonus. Post clocking off time saw no let up either, as I had to chair the board of governors meeting at school. So, it’s 10 o’clock and I finally have a glass of wine in hand and a soft chair to sit on. “… and rest!”